Warp thread guiding means for textile warping machines



WARP THREAD GUIDING MEANS FOR TEXTILE WARFING MACHINES Filed July 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Shree?. l

ttorney May 17 1960 A. w. H. PORTER 2,936,510

WARE THREAD GUIDING MEANS FOR TEXTILE WAREING MACHINES Filed July 5, 1957 2 sheets-sheab 2 Altornys United States Patent O WARP THREAD GUIDING MEANS FOR TEXTILE WARPINGMACHINES Allan William Henry Porter, Burton-on-Trent, England, assignor to F.N.F. Machinery Manufacturing Co. Ltd., p Burton-on-Trent, England, a British company Application July Is, 1957, serial No. 670,077

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 13, 1956 This invention relates to warping machines for winding'warp threads on to warp beams for use in warp knitting machines and looms. A representative machine of this general type is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,738,565 to Robertson and Porter. p

In such machines the beam, which is usually in the form of a cylinder with a ange at each end, is supported between two end stocks and is rotated so that the warp threads, which are initially fixed side by side alongthe length of the beam, are drawn from a creel. The mae chine commonly has one or more tension rollers which are arranged parallel to the Warp beam and around which the threads are led on their passage from the creel tothe Warp beam, and one or more reeds through which the threads pass during this passage.

Itis important that the spacing of the individual warp threads along the beam is accurately maintained and it is for this purpose that the threads are passed through the reed which is mounted as near asis practicable to thewarp beam. The reed cannot, however, be mounted close to the surface of the Warp threads wound on to the beam because, especially when the warp beam is empty, the end anges of the warp beam extend radially outwards for a considerable distance. 4

In practice, therefore, the last reed through which the warp threads pass on their passage to the warp beam is situated a considerable distance from the warp beam and, particularly when very fine threads are being Wound on to a warp beam, a slight axial displacement of the individual threads isilikely to occur between the last reed through which the warp threads pass and the point at which the threads pass on tothe warp beam. The threads are very closely spaced side by side and when such an axial displacement occurs two or more threads may become trapped together asthey are wound on to the beam. Such trapping of the threads causes difficulties when the warp beam is in use on a warp knitting machine or a loom and results in unevenness of the fabric produced. The difficulties caused by trapping are accentuated with high twist threads, because the threads are liable to roll together due to the twist and intermingle in a random manner. Also, when the unthrown or low twist threads are used in which the laments which make up each individual thread lie substantially parallel to one another, if adjacent threads are trapped, and so laid together, the filaments intermingle so that it is impossible to distinguish which is their parent thread.

To reduce or avoid this axial displacement of the warp threads, a warping machine according to the present invention has a roller mounted on a movable axis and a reed, which is movable with the axis of the roller, mounted adjacent the roller, the machine being capable of being threaded up in such a Way that the warp threads pass through the reed and around the roller `on their passage to the warp beam and then pass immediately from the surface of the roller on to the warp beam, the roller r'being in contact with the surface of the mass of `warp threads wound on to the-warp beam, so that the'warp i 2,936,516 Patented May 17, 1,960

f y ice 2 threads are directly sandwiched between the roller and the warp beam as they pass on to the warp beam.

`Preferably both the roller and the reed are mounted on a pivoted arm or a pair of pivoted arms so that they swing away from the warp beam as the diameter of the mass of warp threads upon the beam increases. When the roller is mounted in this way, it may be arranged so that a component of its own weight urges it towards the warp beam, but this component may be partly counteracted or completely balanced by the resultant of the tension of the warp threads passing on to and oi Vthe roller.

An adjustable counterbalance weight may also be provided on the pivoted arm or arms on the side of the pivot away from the tension roller so that` the force urging the roller towards the beam can be altered independently of the tension in the warp threads.

The reed moves away from the warp beam together with the roller as the mass of warp yarns on the warp beam builds up, and thus the spacing between the reed and the roller is kept constant. Because there is no relative movement, the distance between the reed and the tangent point at which the threads pass onto the roller may be kept short.

The axial spacing of the warp threads is therefore accurately gauged at ythe point where the warp threads pass onto the roller. The axial spacing of the warp threads in the direction along the length of the warp beam is maintained by the friction between the threads and the roller and similarly by the friction between the threads being wound on to the beam and those already on the beam. Thus, since the threads pass immediately from the roller on to the beam, the possibility of trapping of the warp threads due to transverse displacement is very greatly reduced or substantially eliminated.

The roller may be provided with a brake so that it can exert a drag on the warp threads passing over it and so act as a tension roller. The arrangement of the tension roller immediately adjacent the warp beam in this way is particularly advantageous since there is no possibility of creep occurring in the threads between their iinal tension being -applied to them and their being Wound in position on the warp beam, so that an even tension is maintained.

An example of a warping machine constructed in accordance with the invention is` illustrated. in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 yis a side elevation of the machine showing the warp beam partly in section;

Figure 2 is a section through the warp beam and tension roller on the line ll-ll of Figure 1, to a larger scale; and

Figure 3 is a sectional detail to an enlarged scale of part of one end of the tension roller, showing an end flange.

As shown in Figure l the warping machine has a frame 1 with two legs 2 on which it is supported from a foundation and also two arms3 and 4 projecting upwards from the frame 1. The machine has a second frame 1 with legs Z and arms 3 and 4 on its opposite side. A warp beam Sis supported in bearings 6 carried in the arms 3. The warp beam is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow by an electric motor, enclosed within a casing 8. The motor is controlled by control gear operated by a handle 9.

Warp threads 10, to be wound on the warp beam, are led from a creel, which is not shown, through a reed 11 carried on an arm 12 fixed to the arm 4, around a tension roller 13 carried on an arm 14, around a second tension roller 15 and then through a conventional stop `motion 16. The tension rollers 13 and 15 are provided the band 17'on the tension rollers 13 and 15 can be increased, to increase the tension imparted by the rollers to the warp threads 10.

Y After, leaving the stop motion at 16, the sheet of Warp threads 10 passes across the top of the machine through a reed 19- and around a tension roller 20. From the tension roller 20 the threads pass directly on to the surface of the core 21 of the warp beam 5.

The tension roller 20 is pivotally mounted in a bearing 23 in an L-shaped arm 24 and in a similar bearing in a second L-shaped arm on the other side of the machine. The L-'shaped arm 24 is pivoted to the frame 1 by a pin 25. The tension roller 20 is thus able to swing about `the pivot 25 from the position shown in full lines in Figure l to the position shown at 201 in chain dotted lines in Figure 1. s v The reed 19V is carried on the L-shaped arms 24 and therefore swings with the tension roller 20.

. As lshown in Figure 2, the tension roller 20 has a small bevelled ange 26 at each end. The anges 26 have inwardly directed sloping faces which as indicated at 27 confine the outermost threads lil as they are Wound on to the warp beam and prevent them spilling out- Wards and being trapped in the clearance spaces which are necessary between the ends of the tension roller 20 and the flanges 29 of the warp beam. In this example each flange 26 projects radially for a length of .030 inch and has a maximum axial thickness of .O20 inch. A detail of the anges 26 is shown in Figure 3.

- The weight of the tension roller 20 and the L-shaped armsv 24 produces a counterclockwise moment about the pivot 25 as seen in Figure 1 and thus tends to swing the tension roller 20 to the left into contact with the mass of warp threads i0 wound' on to the lwarp beam 5. This moment is partly counteracted by the resultant of the tensions T and T1 of the warp threads 10 passing on to and off the tension roller 20. Asthe diameter of the mass of warp threads on the warp beam 5 increases, lthe tension roller and the parts connected to it are swung to the right as shown in Figure 1 about the pivot l25. As this occurs the path of the warp threads 10 moves towards the position shown at 101. The L-,shaped arms 24 are cranked inwardly at 28 (Figure 2) to enable them to lit within the end flanges 29 of the warp beam 5. The tension roller 20 has an internal brake shoe 30.

i claim:

l. In a warping machine of the type comprising a frame, a warp beam rotatably mountedvon said frame and means for rotatably driving said warp beam, the improvement comprising a roller rotatably mounted in a position adjacent said beam with the surface of said roller in contact with the surface of said beam, a member mounted on said frame and carrying said rotatable roller, said member being movable on said frame to allow said roller to "move towards and away from the surface of said beam, :'and a reed mounted on said movable member adjacent a part of the surface of said roller remote from said beam, said roller being interposed in the path to be travelled by -warp threads approaching said-beam, whereby said threads pass through said reed, frictionally engage an arcuate portion of the surface of said roller and then pass directly from the surface of said roller on to said beam, said Warp threads being directly sandwiched between said roller and fsaid beam as they pass on to said beam.

2. In a Iwarping machine of the type comprising a fframe, a warp beam rotatably mounted on said frame and means for rotatably driving said warp beam, the improve- 'ment comprising an arm pivotally mounted on said frame Yfor movement towards and away from said beam, a roller ,rotatably mounted on said `arm in a position adjacent said vbeam with the surface of said roller in contact with the surface of said beam, said arm and said roller being f swingable away from said beam as the number of turns of warpvthreads wound, on said beam increases, and a reed mounted on said arm adjacent a part of the surface of said roller remote from said beam, said roller being interposed in the path to be travelled by warp threads approaching said beam, whereby said threads pass through said reed, frictionally engage an arcuate portion of the surface of said roller and then pass directly from the surface of said roller on to said beam, said warp threads being directly sandwiched between said roller and said beam as they pass on to said beam.

3. In a warping machine of the type comprising a frame, a warp beam rotatably mounted on said frame and means for rotatably driving said warp beam, the improvement comprising a roller rotatably mounted in a position adjacent said beam with the, surface of said roller in contact with the surface of said beam, a member mounted on said frame and carrying said rotatable roller, said member being movable on said frame to allow said roller to move towards and away from the surface of said beam, a ybrake for retarding the rotation of said roller, and a reed mounted on said movable member adjacent a part of the surface of said roller remote from said beam, said roller being interposed in the path to be travelled by warp threads approaching said beam, whereby said threads pass through said reed, frictionally engage an arcuate portion of the surface of said roller and then pass directly from the surface of said roller on to said beam, said Iwarp threads being tensioned as they pass around said retarded roller and being directly sandwiched between said roller and Said beam as they pass on to said beam.

4. In a warping machine of the type comprising a frame, a warp beam rotatably mounted on said frame and means for rotatably driving said warp beam, the improvement comprising an arm pivotally mounted on said frame for movement towards and away from said beam, a roller rotatably mounted on said arm in a position `adjacent said beam with the surface of said roller in contact with the surface of said beam, a brake for retarding the rotation of said roller, said arm and said roller being swingable away from said beam as the number of turns of warp threads wound on said beam increases, and a reed mounted on said arm adjacent a part of the surface of said roller remote from said beam, said roller being interposed in the path to be travelled by warp threads approaching said beam, whereby said warp threads pass through said reed, frictionally engage an arcuate portion of the surface of said roller and then pass directly from the surface of said roller on to said beam, said warp threads being tensioned as they pass around said retarded roller and being directly sandwiched between said roller and said beam as they pass on to said beam.

5. In a warping machine of the type comprising a frame, a warp beam rotatably mounted on said frame and means for rotatably driving said warp beam, the improvement comprising an arm pivotally mounted on said frame for movement towards and away from said beam, a roller rotatably mounted on said arm in a position adjacent said beam, said roller being urged by its own Weight and the weight of said arm into contact with the surface of said beam, the said arm and said roller being swingable .away from said beam as the number of turns of warp threads wound on said beam increases, and a reed mounted on said arm adjacent a part of the surface of said roller remote from said beam, said roller being interposed in the path to be travelled by warp threads approaching said beam whereby said warp threads pass through said reed, frictionally engage an arcuate rportion of the surface of said roller and then pass directly from the surface of said roller onto said beam, said Warp threads being directly sandwiched between said roller and vsaid beam as they pass on to said beam.

6. A warping machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a small ange of bevelled cross-section projecting radially around each end of said roller, the inner 5 face of each of said anges sloping outwards towards 1,988,918 the ends of said roller. 2,033,738

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS u 326154 379,045 Boyle Mar. 6, 1888 6 Reiners et al. Jan. 22, 1935 Reiners et a1 Mar. 10, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 4, 1930 

